Date of this Version

8-2016

Citation

Nebraska Nebraska Rural Poll Research Report 16-2, August 2016

Comments

Copyright (c) 2016 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract

Certain indicators have pointed to overall economic growth in Nebraska. The state’s unemployment rate has remained among the lowest in the nation and wages have increased. However, net farm income continued to decline last year and employment growth in the state has been largely concentrated in the metropolitan counties. Given the challenges and uncertainties of recent years, how do rural Nebraskans believe they are doing and how do they view their future? How satisfied are they with various items that influence their well-being? Have these views changed over the past 21 years? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions. This report details 1,746 responses to the 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll, the 21st annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their well-being. Trends for some of the questions are examined by comparing data from the twenty previous polls to this year’s results. In addition, comparisons are made among different respondent subgroups, that is, comparisons by age, occupation, region, etc.